Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1887-04-26
a farmers View of a Consti-
tutionaI Question.
TO e.e Fa,mers, Laborers and Mechanics Of

Jefferson County:
A very able writer In the detense Oh Sle
rights and the liberties of the people once SAID.
tLat when the complaints of n brave ana pow
erful people are observed 10 increase III pro-
portion 70 the wrongs they nave suffered,
when instead of sinking into submission, they
are reused to resistance. the time will soon ar
rive MT which every inferior consideration
must Weld to the security of the people and
10 the general safety of the state"
Take a calm, deliberate and unpre1udiced
survey of our present condition; treasury
hloated with millions unjustly eXtortSd from
the people, to fill the pockets OF II few protect
ed by tariff at the expense of the millions of
laborers and consumers; the tavorlts OF class
and partial legislation made millionalres on
the one hand, while labor and industry are de-
graded into scrfs, paupers and tranIps on the
other; the farmer, taxed out of the products
of his industry, by being compelled to pay on
the short haul. what is lost to the railroads by
the injudicfOus cutting of rates ut competitive
points, below q rcmuncrative or paying tariff.
and the interest upon watered stock never paid
or invested; the markets Of one of their prin-
cipal products materially impaired or ruined,
by licensing combination of capitalists or
syndicate To manufacture out OF rotten or I'M
healthy 0ffal, lard and tallow. an article imi-
tatng butter called olcomargerinc: the rights
and the demands of a nation of people. in their
appeal to the rational government for relief
from an unjust and unholy discrimination in
the long and short haul. set Mt defiance by the
Senate of the United States. in their refusal to
pass the Reagan bill, and their substitution
therefor of the CuliOm bill. which not only
defcrs, but robs them of their hope: the first
act of the commissioners after assembling in
accordance with that law was to suspend. at
the request of the agents of the railroads. the
fourth section of the act. the sole provision OF
| the law intended to benefit the people. When
the appeals of the people are set Mt defiance
have they not right to come forward, and
warn their rulers. that in future. their conduct
shall no longer be confined to n submissive re-
monstrance: has not the time then arrived ut
Ixphi inferior Sihprnf On ShOuld Weld
to the security of the people. and the general
safety of the State ?" - Both liberty and prop
erty," says the author above quoted. are pre-
carious. unless the pOssessOrs have sense and
spirit enough to defend them" Have the tax
paying farmers. laborers and mechanics the
wealth producers of the whole population of
this Republic. properly defended their rights,
their liberty. and property under the constltu-
ton? Have they not. in the last twenty years
seen millions of acres of the pablc domain. the
peoples rightful and legal ancestral heritage.
pass ont of the possession OF the government
the constituted and legal depository of the
rights. liberties and the property of the people.
by cf:Iss legislation. into the hands of corrupt
corporate combinations of capitalists!
Have you not seen the products of your Ia
Dor entirely absorbed. in the unjust discrilni-
! nation of local freight charges by c0mhina-
ton of railroad corporations and commercial
syndicates in the favor of through traffic. lcav-
ing you barely the cost of production. 10y
systematic and scientific regulation of freight
charges, which by the arrogance of their as
sumed superiority yOu arc supposed to be TOO
ignorant to understand Have you not felt
the humiliation and disgrace, to say nothing of
the loss you sustain. 10y the act of one of the
principal products of general agricultural
prosperity. being brought into competition in
the public martS of the country. with nOmi-
nally licensed article of inferior quality. to rob
You of the profits of an honest industry. to
crafty the insatiate greed of incorporate
aviditv?
Have YOU not seen the constitution and the
laws of your country set ut defiance by the
combination of corrupt juntO of politicians.
in seating i'll the Presidential Chair man con-
trary to the expressed will of the majority OF
the people? Arc you not Witnessing to-day.
grand and noble struggle OF few OF the friends
of the people, against the further encrOach-
ments of monopoly for political ascendency in
the entire government of this State? The qncs-
ton is now. will you join these heroic leader:
in their defense of the rights and liberties of
the people, or will you hug the dclusive pian-
tom of promised mOnopolistic favor. until the
last vestagc of political control is in the hands
of those. who have shown no sympathy In Leg
islatiOn for any other interest than self ag-
grandiZemcnt. and persistent and aggressive
encrOachmcnt of contemporaries wealth. upon the
rights aud the liberties of the people. Some
may he mislcd by an crring judgement, others
by political design. in having but one side of
the question presented to them for solutiOn.-
Various interpretations of the constitution of
the United States. and of that of West Virginia
have been presented to you by able and learned
lawyers, to lead you out of u supposed Difficult
ty into which the last session of the legislature,
huS. by its failure to elect Il United States Sen
ator. brought the State. and have no doubt
that the deductions of some. at least. are fully
convincing and satisfactory to the particular
bias of the eXpOsitOrs themselves if to no one
else. Men, blinded by their zeal in the hope of
some future reward from mOnOpnlistic favor,
through u vision. jaundiccd by prejudice to ev-
cry other interest .Eut that of the schemes and
intrigues in the svndicateS and corporations
they serve have taken sides against the Gov
crnOr of our State. and against the interests of
the great masses of the people. whom he has
SO faithfully and ably served aud defended.
and propose to interpret the Constitution of
the United States and the Constitution of West
Virginia for his guidance and for Your benefit.
We believe in the honest legal. and constitu-
tional accumulation of wealth to any amount.
but when that wealth is used with combination
to corrupt aud influence both State and Fed
crIl Government. i'll the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF
few special favOritGs. at the expense and to the
ruin of the great labOring and agricultural
prosperity of the whole people. we believe i'll
resisting such aggression by every conStitu-
tional and legal means that God has placed in
the reach of the people. The most elastic con-
ccptiOn could scarcely afford you n weaker cx-
ample of a labOrcd attempt TO stretch the or
Sanic law into an altcratcd covering of the de-
signs of monopoly upon the rights and liberties
of the people, and to raise a doubt in the minds
of the public to the prnpriety of the acts of
an able and patriotic Governor, i'll the dis
charge of plain constitutional duty of APP
pointing u U. s. Senator for w. Va. than
'
for no other purpose than to prejudice your
minds against an able defender of the princi-
pies of democracy. and the ablcst and the most
brilliant Senator that w. Va. has pre-
scented to the councils of the nation, legally.
and cOnstitutiOnally appointed by the ablcst
Governor the State of West Va, mas ever pro-
duced.
AS farmers views. opinions. upon the
Interpretation of his country. are supposed to
have but little weight with the learned profess
sions, or with the more enlightened boards of
trade, associations of commerce. ] shall
not venture any farther into the mysteries of
the science of constitutional law, than an or
binary intellect NAV be able to defend, or the
plaincst understanding he capable of cOmprc-
hcndinr. Indeed it would be embarrassing. if
not dangerous to do so. for it is Il well known
fact that Il farmers or latOrer'S views on mat
tiers of public policy are now held in so little
esteem by the government we support. and
those who ought to defend our interests there.
that q few blghtcd seeds occasionally sent from
the Agricultural Department. are supposed to
be sufficient. and ample compensation for all
the sacrifices make in being taxed To sup
port the government and for all the time we
loose and the expenses we incur i'll electing
them to misrcprcscnt us.
But as VIC have the constitution Of the United
States presented to us. i'll the plaincst and the
most fOrchle english. by the convention of
1857. with the debates of that body still within
reach of the public. and the Federalist to eX-
pound its meaning to the people. written by the
very men who framed it. the most OhtuSc in
tcllcct may be excused for forming some Opin-
ion as to his understanding of the meaning of
that instrument. We fully ind0rsc the asscr-